My Odd Friend
by Kannilia
Summary: Draco Malfoy and Luna Lovegood, about friendship, Luna meets Malfoy in a... wierd... forest. I guess? Haha, no good at summaries.
1. Prolouge

Introduction

The wide bridge swayed in the wind.

A slight figure lay sprawled on the wooden panels, his eyes fixed on the Gothic architecture above him. In his right hand was a hip flask, in his left, he clutched the hem of his sleeve, so that his forearm was covered. He closed his eyes. _Feel the pain_, a voice hissed evilly inside his head. Thoughts flew before his eyes; he couldn't see them, but he knew what they were. _Failure, failure, failure_, the voice said. _You are a failure_.

Gritting his teeth, he sat up. Just to his right, in the distance, was Hogwarts castle. He himself found it odd to be coming back here, so close to Hogwarts. So close to where he had let down his own family name, caused the death of someone who had wanted to help him._ You are not a killer_, Dumbledore had said.

Draco Malfoy grasped at the roots of his own white-blonde hair, hiding his face in his hands. _Suck it up, loser_, he told himself.

Ever since that cold night, three months ago, he had basically gone on self-destruct. He was consumed by the past; he never slept. He could not bring himself to the present, he was so lost. _You're losing it_, he told himself. _You're really losing it this time. _Draco's shoulders shook, hardly noticeable. He was, after all, a Malfoy, if not a disowned Malfoy. Not that it mattered anymore.

Finally pulling it together, he stood up. Taking a gulp of firewhiskey, he started across the bridge. One step at a time, a creak of the floor panels for every step. When he reached the end, he paused. Unclipping his hip flask, he tossed it over the railing. He heard the it shatter as it hit the rocks, even though the bridge was to high. Then he started again, down the trail to the riverbank below.

**Kannilia:** Please review! This is my first fanfic, I want to learn to be like all of you good writers out there! Sorry it's so short, I've never been much of a "long-distance" writer. :) (This story is in progress.)


	2. Lunacy is Found

The riverbank was covered with jagged rocks. It was, needless to say, beautiful. Draco Malfoy sat on a boulder in the water, resting his elbows on his knees. Wind blew through the trees, letting them sway, almost as if they were silk banners hanging from the sky. Draco's eye's scanned the other side of the bank. Something shiny caught his wandering eyes.

Slowly, he got slid off the rock, landing gracelessly in the shallow water. _No more book on the head, huh?_ he asked himself. Carefully, he waded across the river.

When he came out, he gaped at his legs, which were completely dry. If he had not been focused on this particular topic, he would have noticed that the other side of the bank was exactly the same as the previous side had been. The rocks were the same, _everything_.

Collecting himself, he headed towards his object of interest.

The rocks were jagged and tall at this part of the bank. He stumbled awkwardly over then, trying to avoid snails and ferocious-looking plants. Finally, he was close enough to see what he was looking for.

It was a girl in silver robes.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The girl looked about his own age, with long, streaked blonde hair and deep-set eyes.

She appeared to be sleeping... or dead. No, she couldn't have been dead... could she? Cautiously, his heart pounding, Draco gave the girl a little shake on her shoulder.

Immediately, her eyes shot open, big as galleons. Draco yelped, leaping backwards. Slowly, the girl sat up, pole straight, looking the other direction. When she finally stood, she turned around to stare at the intruder.

"Hello," she said, beaming. Her voice was breezy, sounding unfocused. The girl stuck out her elbow, as in a way of greeting. "You're Draco Malfoy."

Draco raised his eyebrows. _Bloody hell_, he thought to himself. _She knows who I am._

He looked more closely at her. His eyes wandered over her oddly gleaming robes, her numerous bangles, her shoes, her nails, her hands, everything. They hovered for a moment, however, on her silvery blue eyes and... her radish earrings? Draco Malfoy knew only to well who this was.

"And you're--"

* * *

**DM POV**

"Luna Lovegood," I finish.

_Wow_, what a freak. Her hair is practically down to her knees and she's wearing what looks like enchanted purple porcelain boots with bells. And guess what? She still has her corkscrew necklace, except now it has twice as many corks on it.

Loony Lovegood is still holding her elbow out at me. So, I stick my elbow out towards her. No one's watching anyway... right?

Apparently, I did the right thing, because now she puts down her elbow and smiles at me. I take an involuntary step backward. When she suddenly sneezes, I jump. I can't help it.

"You're a little jittery today, aren't you?" she asks calmly.

"I'm not!" I say defensively. _Stupid, stupid, stupid_, my mind chants.

"Sooooo..." Luna Lovegood elongates her words. "How long have you been out here?"

"Just a few hours."

"Mmm... I've been here days now," she says. Then, "I'm lost!" she adds happily.

And I tell her that she can't possibly be lost, because Hogwarts is right over there. Maybe she's just dumber than she looks, but it's not like I'm telling _that_ to her. Then, she says that no, she really is lost. She tells me that she's been walking towards Hogwarts for a long time, but she never gets any closer, and every time, she comes to a bridge, exactly like that one over there, see? So we both turn to stare at the bridge, while she gives me a "beginner's introduction" to Crumple Horned Snorkack horns and their use in holistic medication.

"Now, I'm going fishing," she says abruptly. "Maybe I'll even see some Freshwater Plimpies, even though now's not really the season for them."

And with that, she pivots gracefully and heads the other way, clutching her thestral-print bag.

When you've found Luna, you've found lunacy itself.

**Kannilia**: Reviews please!


	3. Imagination

**LL POV**

So, I just leave him standing there, bewildered. He'll get over it though. I know he will.

I peer into the crystalline water. Flashes of silver dart in and out of sight. I need two fish today. One for me and one for Draco Malfoy, my new cohort. (He just doesn't know that yet.)

It's probably a little after noon now, so I'm hurrying to set up my hook device. Most people would use magic, but I think it's more fun and more fair when you do it the traditional way. That way, your fish have a chance to make a run for it. When I'm done, I sit back comfortably on a boulder.

The boulder on the other side, identical to my own, seems a little lonely over there, don't you think? So, I go over and sit on it some, too. By the time I've sat on each rock equally, it's just about dark and I have my two fish, too. So, I start heading back to where Draco may or may not still be standing. I think that he seems a little... could you call it distraught? I don't really like that word, exactly. Let's just say he looks... _disorientilliafied_. Yep, that's right. Draco Malfoy is looking dirorientilliafied. Nice job, Luna. I like it.

* * *

**DM POV**

Yeah, so now I'm just standing here.

Just standing here waiting for someone.

Waiting for Luna Lovegood. How pathetic.

So, in the meantime, I'll just go, say, explore. _Explore what?_ a part of me asks. _Explore around this _forest, _idiot_, the other part of says. So, we... _I_... start my introductory look-see.

The first thing I pick up is that the place is huge. _Giant_ trees are everywhere, not like the toothpicks you normally see. And, the water is dry. Yes, dry. And both sides of the river are symmetrical. And... you keep walking but you can't get out? *God, that doesn't sound good. I can see Loony down there, coming back from her "fishing trip." She has her odd-looking gear slung over her shoulder and her wand tucked behind her ear. Quickly, I try to look like I was just enjoying myself, and that I was out here at my own leisure and entertainment.

But, she sees through it all, even if she's polite enough not to bring it up.

"Here's a sleeping bag," she says, packing a fluffy jumble roughly into my chest. "And here's a toothbrush, slippers, lucky rock..."

Luna is pulling stuff out of her thestral-print bag, which I now know must have an extending charm on it, and thrusting it in my face.

"...and here's your fish," she finishes lightly, balancing a cooked fish on my head.

Funny enough, I don't ever recall having said something to her about staying the night here. But I guess I will. It's not like I have anywhere else to go. Putting down my stuff, I retreat back to the edge of our "campsite," watching Luna get herself all situated. She's brushing her teeth now, with a small, purple toothbrush. Every ten seconds, she replenishes her toothbrush with extra toothpaste. It takes a full five minutes for her to finish. Now, she's manually changing into her pajamas, so I quickly shut my eyes, turning red.

"I knew you wouldn't look," she says, laughing.

* * *

Draco Malfoy doesn't like being so predictable.

But he doesn't mind it so much this time. Luna Lovegood, now completely ready, jumps into her sleeping bag. It's charmed, so it's always warm. After she's done two flips and a roll, she doesn't move anymore, just gazing, bemused, at the stars. She's always thought they seemed like windows, into another universe. Only they were too far away to look through. Draco looks at the stars, too. Then at Luna. _They seem to go together_, he thinks quietly to himself. _Luna and the stars._

Suddenly, he feels something heavy and bony clasp his shoulder. Immediately, he starts and whips around, his heart pounding. But nothing's there.

"What happened?" Luna calls.

"N-n-nothing," he stutters quickly.

* * *

**DM POV**

They seem to go together. Luna and the stars.

Suddenly, something sharp and tight grasps my shoulder hard, vicelike. I hear myself inhale sharply, grab my wand. My heart is pounding so hard that I'm surprised Luna doesn't hear it. But when I turn around, nothing's there.

I know someone was there. Right? It can't just be my imagination. I'm not like that-- despite what's happened, I AM NOT THAT SKITTISH.

Am I?

**Kannilia:** Hi! Thanks for reading. If you liked it, or didn't like it, _please_ review! (I'll be your best frieeeeeend. Haha, just kidding. Not to say that we can't be friends--YOU know what I mean. :))


	4. Why are you running?

Luna Lovegood woke up early. Always. Today was no exception.

She looks over at Draco Malfoy, who is asleep, a few feet away. He's huddled in his sleeping bag, with yesterday's clothes still on. His eyes are squeezed tightly shut, and he's saying something, although Luna can't hear what. She's polite enough, however, not to pry and go listen.

It's still mostly dark out. Luna can see the glow beyond the horizon; the sun hasn't yet risen. There's just enough for her to take a freezing swim in the lake and fish a little, for breakfast. When the first ray of light hits Draco, he jumps awake, scrambling to his feet. It's almost as if the ground were a lava flow. Luna wonders what happened to him, she knows that something did. Something terrible. She can see it in his eyes. Hogwarts-Draco would have taken his time getting up, not even touching a toe out of bed until the last minute.

"Good morning, Draco Malfoy," she says brightly.

"Hello."

His voice is noticeably dismal. Moving to sit near Luna around the fire, he pulls his cloak more tightly around him. She notices how he takes special care to cover his left forearm. Luna feels a sinking in her stomach; she knows what's there.

"What's wrong?" she asks. "Have the Wrackspurts infiltrated your brain?"

"Of course not," he snaps, trying to look like his old, haughty person. But what's the point of acting anyway? So he gives it to her. "It just takes a while to get the attitude up," he adds, trying out a fake smile.

"I know."

With that, there's an awkward silence. Draco covers his face with slender white hands, while Luna gazes at the golden-lined treetops, her forehead wrinkling slightly in concern. Finally, she gets up and wraps her arms around Draco's shoulders.

Immediately, he stiffens up. But he relaxes, collapsing his elbows onto his knees. His shoulders shake silently, he tries to hide it. Luna holds him tighter, and they stay light that, Draco Malfoy sitting on a log, quivering, Luna on her knees beside him.

Finally, Draco Malfoy jumps up, his face stricken. He backs away, shaking, turns on his heel and makes a dash for the trees.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He stops at a large, *oak tree.

Closing his eyes, he leans back against against the trunk, feeling the bark underneath his fingers. Thoughts swirl and twirl in his shocked mind. He would never have expected it of Luna; how could she _do_ that? How could she even be near him? He was a filthy, contaminated coward, a fallen aristocrat. She was so pure, a crystalline diamond among a world of ashes. (If a slightly insane one.)

And he had come to realize, that no one had ever given him a hug before. _That's great, Draco_, he thinks to himself sarcastically. _First hug at seventeen. Nice job._

So he's there for-- he doesn't know how long. But his head is cleared considerably, by the time he heads back. He needs to tell Luna that he's sorry about being-- that _way_, it was rude; he's thinking about how to say it.

Suddenly, something from the back grabs him around the neck. He struggles violently, attempting to pull the thing away with one hand, trying to get his wand with the other. It holds Draco more and more tightly, but just as his lungs are about to give way, it stops. He looks around wildly; nothing's there.

As quickly as it stopped, it starts again. This time, it's in his stomach. Draco feels himself being pulled downwards, it's as if someone has reached inside him and is pulling him down by his ribcage. But when he tries to drag whatever it is off, there's nothing, just air. His whole torso is screaming in agony. He's collapsed on all fours, trying to breathe, but his lungs can't.

_"P-p-protego!" _he gasps. He can feel his spell working, but nothing changes. Spitting something dark red out of his mouth, he tries to stand, and it stops again. _Run, run, run, run!_ his mind screams. Clutching at his side, he falls into a crooked hobble, then he's sprinting through the forest, as fast as he can, towards the shore.

When he finally reaches the rocks of the river bank, he keeps running, running, along the water. In the distance, he can see Luna's small fire blazing. _Luna_, he thinks frantically. _She has to help me. _But then, he realizes that he can't go to Luna, he can't let it get her. So, he turns back into the forest, weaving through the trees. Draco Malfoy's head is spinning, he swerves uncontrollably, almost running into the trees. He knows that he can't stop now, though. Whatever's pursuing him is right on his heels, he can almost feel it on his back.

_I'm not going to make it_, he thinks to himself.

* * *

**L POV**

Suddenly, he comes running towards me, right out of the forest. His face is contorted in pain. When he sees me, his eyes widen, and he sharply turns back into the trees. It's almost as if someone is chasing him, but I can't see anything.

Something tells me this isn't right. Quickly, I take my wand out and hurtle after him. He takes me through the forest, turning left and right, never going straight. I can only keep track of him by the color of his hair. Soon, we're out in the open again, following the river. I'm clutching a stitch in my side, I have to keep going though. After a while, I can see him slowing. Twice, he stumbles and falls, but he frantically picks himself up again and staggers forward, running faster.

_How long can he run?_ I ask myself. He doesn't seem to know that I'm following him. We're traveling farther and farther away from our fire pit. I can see another one of those bridges coming up. Finally, I slow down a little, thinking that he'll have to stop for it. But no, he doesn't. He just goes around it, splashing in the freezing water. Promptly, I follow him in.

Hearing me pick my way through the river behind him seems to spur him on, he runs even faster. _Is he running away from me?_

Draco Malfoy is starting to slip a little on the rocks, even when they're completely dry. He straightens himself out every time, but I can still tell that this isn't good for him. We've been going at full speed for half and hour now, I think I'm about ready to pass out. Just in front of me, Draco's knees give way and he collapses. Taking this as my chance, I half crawl, half run towards him.

He's trying to stand, but when he sees me, he staggers backwards, crashing hard into a boulder.

"No, Luna," he rasps. "No, please... please, someone's after me, get out of--"

His voice cuts off, he lurches forward, coughing up what I hope isn't blood. "G-g-got to get moving," he whispers, his eyes wide with fear. He tries to start again, but falls. Immediately, I grab him, steadying him. All of a sudden, he yells out, doubling over on himself.

"Draco, what's wrong? _Talk_ to me!"

"Get out of here, now!" I hear him growl at me, through gritted teeth. But I'm not leaving him here, whatever he thinks.

"Do it Lu--"

He's cut off again, gasping for breath. I can feel him convulse violently against me. Clutching at his middle with white fingers, he struggles again to stand, falls again. Squeezing his eyes shut, he stops struggling and leans against a boulder, shaking.

"No, no, no, please," he whispers. "Luna, _please_, make it stop, I can't see that again... _Luna_ don't make me watch it."

His voice is trembling as much as he is, I can't do anything for him. I know he's seeing things, in his mind, memories. I wish I could help, but I can't. His voice is getting desperate, pleading with me, _begging_ me to do something. His eyes are open, but I know he can't see me.

Abruptly, as though someone has stabbed him, Draco's hands fly to his front. I gasp, my eyes widening, as a dark stain begins to spread across his shirt.

_Oh no, oh no_, my mind whispers to me softly.

Quickly, I pull out my wand again, tracing it along the line of the wound, muttering a healing spell. It works, but then the skin cuts open again. _What's doing this to him? _my mind screams. Tears threaten to fall from my eyes, he'll bleed to death if this doesn't work. Again, I try it. And again. And once more.

"I'm sorry," I whisper to him. "I'm sorry."

His face is paper white, he's beginning to lose it, he won't be awake for much longer. I can't look at his eyes.

Then suddenly, as if by miracle, it stops. Everything.

I slip my hand into his, so he knows he's not alone, then lean against the boulder next to him.

_Thank you, thank you, thank you._

_

* * *

_

So they both sit on the rocky beach, leaning against the large boulder, Luna blinking tears, Draco with his eyes shut. Each absorbed in their own thoughts, shivering. Too absorbed, in fact, to hear a soft, sinister laugh in the wind.

**Kannilia:** Thank you, potterlovegood, my lone reviewer! (She won't be lonely anymore if someone else reviews... hint hint.. :))

Oh yeah, one more thing. You know how there's a star next to the word "oak?" Well, I put it there, so that you can take it out and have your own tree of choice.


	5. Reflect Me

**L POV**

He hasn't said anything at all; I don't blame him.

We've been walking for two days now, feet taking steps, our minds lost elsewhere. Neither of us have eaten either, it seems like too much of a burden. Finally, I decide it's time to stop.

"We're stopping here," I say, abruptly putting down my bag. Silently, without a word, Draco complies. I can't help thinking how_ unnatural_ this is for him.

Kindly, in hopes of... well... trying to console him I guess, I place my hand on his shoulder. But it seems that he cannot be touched. Immediately, he jumps and shies away from me, like a nervous, skittery horse.

"Don't you _dare_ touch me, you filthy, deranged lunatic!" he shouts. I definitely shouldn't have done that, no, that definitely was not the right choice. Surprising, it brings a wave of frustration through me. Normally, I know people better than that. I _know_ what to do. But I just can't see him clearly, maybe it's just a Malfoy thing.

Draco tries to straighten himself out, I can tell. He squeezes his eyes shut and takes a long, shaky breath. And then with a odd air about him, as though someone is forcing him, he helps me set the place up.

Once we've put down our things and started a fire, we brusquely take seats on either side of the little pile of flames, staring each other down. I don't back down though, instead, I double my gaze. His refined, slate grey eyes shift into a hard glare. And he's angry. Angry at me for seeing him like this, nervous, in pain, and seeming so _low_. But I don't see him like that. He's my friend. I hope he knows that, despite the little ass he's being.

Suddenly, he tears his eyes away from mine and stands up stiffly. He's going on a walk. I know it and he knows I know, so he doesn't say anything. I don't even tell him to be careful, because I know he's smart, and he knows not do anything stupid.

I hope.

* * *

**DM POV**

I'm going on a walk. I'm going to take a walk. I'm going for a _stroll_. Hey, I'm going on a walk, I'll be back later. It's a nice day for a walk, don't you think?

There are a million ways to say, 'I'm going on a walk.' I can't decide though, so I just leave.

Today, the water is clear and crystalline, sheets of gossamer satin placed delicately on top of each other. _Pristine clean,_ Narcissa would have said. Cautiously, I pick a large, smooth boulder to sit on, the kind muggle photographers like. The rock on the other side seems forlorn, with no company to share mutual interests with. I've been staring at it for a while now, wondering, just wondering. About what, I'm not sure.

Suddenly, the air exactly opposite of me begins to shiver eerily. An outline appears, darkening and darkening until it's completely opaque. I peer more closely and it's... it's...

_Me_.

''''''''''

Shocked to the bone, I perform a magnificently executed double take.

My knees slam onto the ground as I try to scramble off the rock and miss. Not even feeling the pain, I pull myself up, only to stare incredulously at reflection-me doing the exact same thing, not a second off-time.

I can feel that overly reactive-- okay, _not_ overly reactive-- heart of mine climbing up my throat. Forgetting to even breathe, I slowly shuffle sideways, one step at a time, back towards Luna. I don't know why, but to me, Luna now seems to be the base of common ground.

Shockingly, or not so shockingly, reflection-me follows along perfectly. Even when I suddenly jump or break into a run, reflection-me always knows.

* * *

**L POV**

I stare at my reflection.

I give my reflection a wave.

I shout 'hello!' to my reflection.

I do a dance for my reflection.

I make a face...

And whatever I do, my reflection can do it, too. (Hey, that rhymes!) I can only wonder if Draco Malfoy has one. Speak of the devil, I can see him walking slowly back down the shore. Ecstatically, I bound up to his side. Before I can even ask, however, he points an accusing finger across the river at his... _reflection_.

"So you have one, too?" I ask excitedly.

"Three, four," Draco replies dazedly.

Out of the corner of my eye, I peek over at the 'reflections.' They're doing the exact same thing we are, _my_ reflection looking out the corner of her eye at _me._

* * *

**DM POV**

The Reflections have been following us around for a while now. Or maybe we've been following them.

Either way, I have to say, I have a bad feeling about this.

..........................................

The reflections have been here for a few days now. Luna and I have just been doing... _regular_... stuff. But out of the corners of our eyes, we're always watching them-- or, I should say, watching each other.

An itching feeling inside me wants to find out what the Refletions are, if they're even _real_. I just can't sum up the courage to walk out to the middle of the river and see though. And where _is_ that line? Where does the reflection start? I won't know until I see for myself, will I?

Tonight, the stars are dangling down from the sky, so close I could touch them. The thought of just disappearing off the face of earth is tempting, _tantalizing_. And there's always that lingering question trapped in my mind.

Am I going insane?

Shaking my head, I glance over at the Reflections, out of habit.

And my heart skips a beat. A big beat.

Instead of the usual, peaceful looking reflections, there are dark, black shapes moving around. When they step into the soft moonlight, I see that they _are _the Reflections. _But why aren't they in their sleeping bags like us_?

Something tells me, the Reflections might not be reflections at all.

**Kannilia: **Hi! Thanks Eshilia for reviewing! Please leave some more commentary, anyone! haha, I love reviews. :)


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